Men’s Basketball Handles Carnegie Mellon, 87-77

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team concluded its three-game homestand to start the season with an 87-77 victory against Carnegie Mellon Saturday afternoon in the Junker Center.

Score: Penn State Behrend 87, Carnegie Mellon 77

Records: Penn State Behrend (3-0), Carnegie Mellon (3-1)

Key Moments:

* The Tartans gained a 35-27 advantage with three minutes left in the first half, but the Lions would go on a 12-0 run to end the first half with a 39-35 lead
* Behrend's 12-0 run was capped off by a Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) three-pointer to beat the buzzer and close out the period
* The second half was a back-and-forth affair from the start as every time the Lions attempted to pull away, then Carnegie Mellon would go on a mini-run of its own to keep the game close
* With two minutes left, sophomore guard Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) gave Behrend a five-point advantage with a three-pointer from the top of the key
* Following McDonough's triple, the Lions would get a few key stops at the defensive end and make their free throws to seal the win
* Senior Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) led Behrend with a season-high 26 points to go along with two steals and two blocks
* Fellow senior RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) recorded his first double-double of the season, tallying 18 points and 11 rebounds
* Other Lions in double-figures Saturday were McDonough (17 points) and Blankenberg (11 points). Blankenberg also added seven rebounds
* Matt Niland (Erie, PA/Fairview) scored nine points and dished out a game-high four assists
* The Tartans had three players in double-figures: Buckley DeJardin (20 points), Justin Allen (15 points), and Jonathan Milloway (14 points)
* As a team, Behrend notched 18 points off 17 Carnegie Mellon turnovers

Up Next:

* Behrend will be on the road for the first time this season with a matchup at Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.